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30 October, 2013

This Sportsgirl nail polish from the Nail It! range makes no bones about what it is. It's very straightforwardly called Rose Gold and is a mix of different sizes of rose gold glitter in a clear base. I used two coats over my pearly rose gold base polish and ended up with something looking like a rough foil, or almost sequin effect. It was one of those weekend manicures I couldn't bear to take off and it stayed 100% intact all week too - a total winner for me as I can't seem to get enough of this precious metal at the moment...

28 October, 2013

A little long while ago I was asked to do a post on my current mascaras - Liz you've done it again! Even though I probably have around 10 or so mascaras in my collection I try not to have too many tubes of mascara open at any time because of their limited lifespan and I don't want to have to toss out a bundle of underused mascara after 3 to 6 months. As a rule I keep my open mascaras down to the bare minimum of having just one for each different purpose - although funnily enough I have two waterproof on the go at the moment.

To give you an idea of my needs when it comes to mascara I have naturally long lashes so my needs are not lengthening, but thickening, definition, waterproof coverage and curling when the desire takes me. So, do I have an opinion when it comes to mascara? It turns out that I do! Okay, here are the four mascaras I've been using of late.

I'll run through these from left to right as presented above. I've realized after photographing the wands that I committed the beauty sin of not thoroughly wiping down the wands first so they may look a little on the gunky side - sorry! I'll admit to the lazy habit of wiping my mascara excess off on the side of the tube rather than using a tissue - sorry again!

Lancôme Hypnôse Doll Eyes Waterproof

This is my most recent mascara purchase as I wanted something, ANYTHING from Lancôme's recent Alber Elbaz collection. I've used Lancôme mascaras before and I just love how they excel at defining my lashes although I baulk at the expense of something so short-lived. I generally only buy them when Lancôme has special gift deals, or when I'm buying overseas or duty-free. That means - not often!

Now this mascara has rekindled my love for Lancôme because, yes, it does a perfectly clump-free job of defining my lashes so they have an almost spidery look. The unusually shaped brush makes it easy for me to get into the inner corner lashes with the tapered end, and give the outer lashes a flourish with the longer bristles at the base of brush. Some might find the brush a challenge to work with because you need to twist your wrist to get the brush into the optimal position but I personally haven't had issues with that. The waterproof formula stands up to my usual challenges of gym workouts and running too.

Bourjois Volume Glamour Ultra Curl Mascara

I got my Bourjois as a part of a drugstore gift pack and I had no expectations of it but now I completely and utterly love it! The formula is so lovely and creamy, gliding onto the lashes without any clumps at all. I don't know if there is such a thing as a moisturising mascara but this feels as though it is moisturising my lashes somehow - my research tells me this is probably due to the soft, flexible waxes in the formula.

The curved, medium length bristle brush is very easy to use and my lashes are most definitely headed skywards after twirling this through them. The formula does a wonderful job of thickening my lashes too.

Rimmel 100% Waterproof Mascara

Rimmel usually do a pretty decent job for drugstore mascara too and this is my second tube of their 100% Waterproof mascara. This is my waterproof workhorse mascara and I'll wear it most days of the week because it does a reasonably good job of thickening my lashes, doesn't budge through the toughest workout and it's a steal at around $12. It's certainly good enough for everyday wear as a daytime mascara and is not crunchy on the lashes despite being waterproof.

What I'm less enthused about is the brush - specifically the one from my latest tube. Can you see the gap in the bristles above? What's going on with that? Somehow it slipped through quality control I think. Me being me, I wasn't going to throw it out without using it and I didn't fancy my chances on a refund so I'll use it up and move on.

ModelCo Fibre LashExtend Mascara

I think this mascara was a magazine freebie. The formula contains fibres - which I think you can just see on the brush above - to thicken and lengthen the lashes for a "false lash effect".

Despite all the positive reviews I've read I honestly don't like this mascara and it's going to be the first of these 4 mascaras you'll see popping up in an empties post - and that's not just because I got it for free (full price is around $28 by the way)! The fibre-rich formula is thick alright, thick and gloopy and makes combing through the lashes with the wand feel more like dragging. I also found the formula lends itself to clumping easily too. The brush is standard and while I noticed thicker lashes I didn't notice a dramatic difference in length. Perhaps if I'd applied multiple coats I may have seen a difference but I'm not such a mascara fiend when it comes down to it. On the plus side I didn't notice any fibre fallout so it could have been worse I guess.

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So there you have it. What are your favourites and fails when it comes to mascara? Let me know - especially what your favourite thickening mascaras are! It looks like I'm on the market for a new one...

26 October, 2013

It's been a few months since my rose gold makeup post and I finally got around to wearing another of my rose gold polishes. As usual I'm wondering why I waited so long because I find rose gold to be a very flattering shade of gold for my skin tone. Just another one of those really meaningful First World musings, huh?

This polish from Korean brand The Face Shop is simply labelled 17 Pearl Brown which is also a fairly accurate description. Pearl Brown has a very strong satiny pearl finish which I think you either love or hate. I used to really love pearly polishes when I was a teenager but then moved away from anything remotely pearly or frosty unless it was an edgy colour. These days I guess I've softened towards pearl finishes again - well at least where it comes to rose gold as I found this a particularly pretty polish to wear. If I must fault it, it's the tendency of a pearly polish like this to show up brush strokes, but it's only really obvious on one nail so more careful application would take care of that problem. It's the usual two coats of colour on my nails here.

23 October, 2013

I chopped my nails back to nubs again and felt that red was THE way to go with nubbins. To me it feels less Cruella de Vil of Disney's 101 Dalmations infamy, more French ingénue like Amelie wearing little bright red nails! Ah, if only I could actually be an ingénue again *sigh*...

Ulta3's English Rose was my choice for indulging my inner ingénue. English Rose is not at all subdued as the name would suggest but instead is a very punchy bright orange-red with a distinct gold shimmer. I feel like reds like this have been around forever but they never really go out of style. Two coats provided perfectly opaque coverage and heck I was loving the fiery golden sparkle!

22 October, 2013

I've long been a fan of local beauty brand Natio so I was thrilled to find they were having a warehouse sale. I was even more thrilled to find the sale was very close to my home so I took time out to check it out and $49 later I came back home with all this! Yes there is a Chanel dupe in there too.

20 October, 2013

Milky glitter polishes can be hit or miss for me but that hasn't stopped me from collecting them in my neverending quest for whatever it is I'm looking for - in other words I don't really know?! Anyway this little milky glitter from Face of Australia happens to be a hit in my opinion - such a cheerful whimsical mix!

Boogie Wonderland is a milky white polish sprinkled with an extremely cute and colourful mix of orange, purple and blue round glitter, some large silver hex glitter with some blue, green and silver bar glitter thrown in - It reminds me more than a little of fairy bread or ice cream with sprinkles. For a mainstream polish this has all the imagination you'd expect from an indie version. The mixologist should be congratulated because I LOVE THIS!! Three coats and my fingertips are coated in childlike, magical, sugary whimsy...

14 October, 2013

This week's video turns the spotlight onto Kevyn Aucoin courtesy of Ling's recent Net-A-Porter-Beauty shopping. Ling shares her initial opinions and wields her gigantic fluffy powder brush on camera, bronzing her cheeks for the very first time while I provide very useful advice telling her to "...suck in those cheeks..."!

12 October, 2013

Yet another purple nail polish post from me because I've been loving it lately!

I was gifted this lovely subtle scattered holo polish with the cute name Marls and it happens to be the first ever indie brand nail polish I've ever tried. I'm so mainstream really but it's never too late to kick the boundaries at least a little. Dead Set Babes is an Australian custom indie brand nail polish available on Etsy (here). The product is Vegan, 5-free and cruelty free.

I was really pleased with the application and finish of the polish. It had an easy to work with consistency, good medium sized brush and it dried very quickly without the need for a top coat. The holo is quite subtle and needs to be fully appreciated in bright light and (naturally) the day I wore this it happened to be grey and overcast so I've had to rely on artificial light to capture the beauty. I think I've done it justice though - such a beautiful grape with a kaleidoscopic shimmer.

09 October, 2013

Chi Chi is an Australian brand known for its bright rainbow of colour cosmetics. They most certainly have a rainbow of nail polish shades too, although funnily enough I've breezed past the range so many times over the years without buying any - I have absolutely no idea why! Maybe I thought the stuff was too young and fun for me? Whatever. Here I am now deciding not to be ageist toward myself and getting into the Chi Chi thing with this post.

Capital H.I.M. is my idea of the perfect lavender purple cream. Chi Chi very plainly describes this shade as a high gloss pretty purple. They don't mention the lovely but elusive blue shimmer which can be seen in the bottle but disappears on the nails - that mythical shimmer sent to tease me! Getting onto the application two coats delivered great coverage and I'm also happy to report this nail polish doesn't have strong toxic fumes unlike my last mani so it was a pleasant experience all round. Not too bad for a $5 polish!

07 October, 2013

This week's video post is dedicated to our favourite luxe products. Ling and I chat about the luxe brand products we would (or have) repurchased and we think are worth the hype! Does it surprise you that we're all about lips and nails?

06 October, 2013

I've been making an effort to revisit my nail polish collection and bring out some older things to wear to mix it up a bit - even if I have the constant temptation of the newest bottles right under my nose!

Nabi - speaking of things under my nose Nabi polish smells horrifically toxic - does have some interesting colours so I have a small handful from their range. New Gold Pearl is lush with gold micro-glitter and looks like antique gold lamé to me - that flashy fabric woven with gold thread! The golden sparkly sheen is really something in real life, although in muted light the dark green undertones can dominate and it looks a little dirtier and murkier, as seen in some of the pictures. I had a bit of fun wearing New Gold Pearl although I think this would look much more effective on darker skintones to do it more justice.

04 October, 2013

Well behind everyone else, I find OPI's Liquid Sand textured polishes are my current obsession. I may have a few more of these in my collection now *cough*.

I bought Tiffany Case in a Sasa Singapore sale and at the time I had my doubts over whether it was the genuine OPI article. I'm still not 100% sure but I did enjoy wearing this flattering shade - it's not quite Tiffany box blue but ever so slightly lighter and this polish has an added sparkle courtesy of silver and blue glitter. I applied 2 coats and it quickly dried down to the rough textured, glittery finish. On the negative side I did find this a little more stubborn to remove than Jinx and OMG I had some ugly blue staining too which I was unprepared for.

03 October, 2013

It's been a slower month empties-wise but that's quite frankly a relief to me - and maybe you too! No hard slog for the reader or the writer here this time! I'll try and keep the rambling to a minimum too.

Skin care

100) Natio Gentle Cleansing Wipes With Green Tea & Chamomile (24 wipes) - Wipes in a box! These were thick wipes with a natural herbal scent. Lovely, gently cleansing and left my skin feeling clean without being tight or dry. If I had to pick on one thing it would be that these could have been just a little wetter.

101) Vanedo Beauty Friends Green Tea Essence Mask - I'm loving my sheet masks! This one claims to be "firming, moisturizing, elastic" and I kid you not my forehead looked smoother and relaxed after this mask - at least for a few hours anyway. Who needs botox?

103) Cetaphil Restoraderm Skin Restoring Body Wash (295ml) - I used this body wash to calm my skin after a nasty bout of eczema on my neck erupted in the middle of winter. Very creamy, fragrance free and super gentle on the skin. The bottle lasted quite a long time too. I would definitely repurchase this for a sensitive skin emergency.

104) OPI Expert Touch Lacquer Remover (120ml - 4 Fl. Oz.) - The most expensive of OPI's removers due to its "professional formula" and "superior performance". It did make slightly less work of removal so it's good for those impatient people like me who change their polish frequently and who don't mind paying around $12AUD for a bottle of remover. I still wish OPI would redesign their bottles and make them spill-proof. I've had so many incidents with tipping bottles!

105) MOR Orange Blossom Hand Cream - This hand cream had been forgotten about then rediscovered and loved by me as my overnight hand treatment. The blossom scent was subtle and the cream was a rich concoction of Vitamin E and Shea Butter. I believe it's been discontinued although MOR constantly brings out new decadent scents (and luxe packaging!) so I will definitely be buying more MOR!

Cosmetics

106) MAC Lustre Lipstick (Gem Of Roses) - I've wailed about the demise of this LE lipstick shade everywhere because I loved it. It's entirely my own fault becoming addicted to it and wearing it every day. On the plus side, this goes towards my next Back 2 MAC.

02 October, 2013

I never feel guilty about buying Ulta3 polishes because they're only $2AUD a pop and come in a rainbow of colours and a multitude of finishes. To put it into context (and repeat what everyone else around here says) these polishes literally cost less than a cup of coffee - actually I think I might get just over half a small coffee for that piddly amount of change!

With that minor expenditure in mind I bought the pretty magenta glitter Gossip - plus four others - from Ulta3's Glitterati collection. The Glitterati collection was released back in July but I'm still seeing it around so Aussie girls can still snap up bottles of shimmer and sparkle if that's your thing. Gossip is a standard mix of magenta round glitter and micro-glitter in a clear base and the coverage is sparse to medium so it needs to be used as a top coat for best effect. I chose to layer two coats of this little drugstore polish over Chanel Taboo of all things - as far away as you can get from a drugstore brand - but I was really pleased with this combination! Taboo makes its presence felt adding a subtle blue sparkle shimmering beneath the glitter so I think this mani looks pretty special.

01 October, 2013

You may have read my post so now watch me chat about my new Bloom cosmetics bargains with Ling! Ummm...

Overall our first impressions were positive although I did say "ummm..." a lot! Don't let that put you off! Ling does a great job of saving me here and this was the second video we did on our first filming session.

Thanks for watching!

Remember you can refer back to my Bloom buys blog post here for more product details and swatches.